MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
ELISHA D. SMITH PUBLIC LIBRARY TRUSTEES
July 17, 2007
Call to order and roll call at 4:02 p.m. by Keith Fuchs
Present: Eisen, Englebert, Enos, Foth, Fuchs, Stanke, Werley
Absent: Eckstein
Also present: Director Saecker, J. Bongers (Head of Adult Services), M. Loch-Wouters (Head of Children's Services), K. Seefeldt (Administrative Assistant)
Introduction of New Members
Mayor Laux has appointed Jill Enos and Susan Werley to their first three-year terms. Enos will replace Mary Butler and Werley will replace Al LaFaive. Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris recently appointed Paul Eisen as the Board's County representative, replacing Colleen O'Brien.
Englebert arrived at 4:05 p.m.
Election of Officers
Director Saecker presented the following nominations: Keith Fuchs as president, Rosalind Stanke as vice-president, and Charlotte Foth as secretary. There were no nominations from the floor. Nominations were closed and the slate was elected unanimously on a motion by Eisen and seconded by Englebert.
Authorization of Bills
1. Motion to authorize payment of the July list of bills from the 2007 budget by Werley, seconded by Stanke, and carried unanimously.
Foth arrived at 4:08 p.m.
Consent Business
2. Approve minutes from the Library Board meeting of June 19, 2007.
Motion
Motion to approve minutes from the Library Board meeting of June 19, 2007 by Englebert, seconded by Foth, and carried unanimously.
Director's Report/Information Items
3. Statistics. The library lent 41,135 items in June, a 3.8% decrease over June 2006. Director Saecker and library department heads will continue to explore ways to better promote our collections.
4. Gifts. We received a $25.00 donation from Jewelers Mutual in memory of Mary Swanson. We also received a $500 grant from the Omicron Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma for bilingual books for children and young adults.
5. Orientation for New Board Members. Director Saecker offered to provide an orientation for new board members. She will give a tour of the library, outline their role as a trustee, and explain our funding system.
6. 2nd Quarter Endowment Report. The second quarter Endowment report was presented for the Board's review. Annual fund raising efforts to increase the Endowment will begin later this fall. Eisen asked for an explanation of the account codes used by the Community Foundation in their monthly reports.
7. Grant from Community Foundation. We received $4800 from the Community Foundation this month. This annual disbursement allows us to move funds from our Foundation investments into our Endowment's general account. Funds received this year will be used toward the purchase of the outdoor sign and to refurbish chairs in our Gegan Room.
8. Staff Meeting. Our third quarterly staff meeting was held on Saturday, July 14. Items addressed by the staff included trends in circulation and long range planning.
9. Accomplishments in First Year. A list of Director Saecker's accomplishments during her first year here was distributed to the board. She credited staff for the effort they put forth in contributing to many of the projects listed.
Discussion/Action Items
10. New Meeting Time. Board members gave consideration to the best day and time for future board meetings.
Motion
Motion to approve moving the monthly Library Board meetings to the third Thursday of each month at 4:30 p.m. by Enos, seconded by Eisen, and carried unanimously.
11. Board/Staff Social. Director Saecker recommended that we plan a board/staff social to give everyone the opportunity to get to know one another. The event will be held early on a Friday evening at a local restaurant. The Library will provide appetizers and individuals will be asked to purchase their own beverages. Director Saecker will select two dates in August for the board's consideration.
12. Formation of Committees. President Fuchs made the following appointments to Standing Committees:
Finance Committee: Eckstein, Eisen, Enos
Building & Grounds: Englebert, Enos, and Foth
Policies & Personnel: Fuchs, Stanke, Werley
Investment: Fuchs, Stanke, Director Saecker
Paul Eisen is the Library's County liaison. He also offered to serve on the Long Range Planning Committee.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn the meeting at 4:31 p.m. by Werley, seconded by Foth, and carried unanimously.
Future meeting dates
The next regular board meeting will be held in the Gegan Room on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 4:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Charlotte Foth, Secretary
Kris Seefeldt, Recording Secretary
